The DOI matches its Crossref record; 7 of the 7 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 9 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.
Locating Giant Ground Pangolins ( Smutsia gigantea ) Using Camera Traps on Burrows in the Dja Biosphere Reserve, Cameroon
Open accessAbstract
Giant ground pangolins ( Smutsia gigantea) are poorly known and difficult to study due to their nocturnal and burrowing habits. Here, we test the efficacy of using camera traps on potentially active burrows identified by local Ba'Aka guides to rapidly locate giant ground pangolins in the wild for subsequent observation and tagging for telemetry studies. We deployed nine cameras on potential giant ground pangolin burrows in the Dja Biosphere Reserve, Cameroon. One camera photographed an adult male giant ground pangolin using a burrow within 2 days of camera deployment. The pangolin used the same burrow several times over a 25-day period and possible scent-marking behavior was recorded.
Overview
AI snapshot
Written from the paper’s full text.
TL;DR
Camera traps placed on potential giant ground pangolin burrows in Cameroon’s Dja Biosphere Reserve detected an adult male within 2 days of deployment, and the same burrow was used repeatedly over a 25-night period. The authors conclude that camera trapping on burrows identified with local Ba’Aka guides may be a cost-effective way to locate this poorly known species for future observation or tagging.
Key findings
- One of nine camera traps, across eight localities, photographed an adult male giant ground pangolin entering and exiting a burrow multiple times over 25 nights; the first visit was recorded on July 1 at 7:55 p.m., described as 2 days after camera set-up.
- The active burrow was 30 cm in diameter, under extended roots, adjacent to a tree with 152 cm dbh, on a northeast-facing slope at the edge of a swamp.
- All recorded giant ground pangolin activity at the burrow occurred at night; possible scent-marking was recorded twice, with the pangolin pressing its anal glands to the top of a root.
- The same camera also photographed Emin’s pouched rat and African brush-tailed porcupine entering and exiting the active burrow on the same evening, with the porcupine photographed within 15 min following giant ground pangolin activity.
Methods
- The survey was conducted in the 526,000 ha Dja Biosphere Reserve, Cameroon, near the Congo Basin Institute’s Bouamir Research Station; two experienced Ba’Aka guides identified nine potentially active burrows based on diameter, location, and scratch marks, all within 2.5 km of the station.
- Nine Cuddeback Long Range IR E2 camera traps were placed on nine possible burrows, 3 to 5 m from burrows and roughly 30 to 50 cm above ground, set to take ambient-light photos/videos by day and infrared photos/video at night.
- Cameras were installed June 29–July 4, 2017, and retrieved July 27–28, 2017, remaining active 23 to 29 days; the authors also recorded burrow covariates including diameter, associated tree dbh, aspect, slope, canopy cover, and distance to swamp.
Limitations
- The paper states the data set is limited and that it cannot be certain whether the pangolin was staying inside the burrow or simply investigating it; multiple burrow entrances greater than 30 cm on the same tree were not effectively monitored, preventing confident conclusions about activity patterns.
- The authors state it remains unknown whether giant ground pangolins share burrows and which animals dig the burrows in the DBR; one camera on a 60-cm burrow produced overexposed images, so it could not be determined whether a pangolin was active there.
- Evident from the text: the study reports a single detection of one adult male over a short deployment, with no formal statistical analysis or telemetry/tagging outcome, so the method’s broader efficacy and the species’ activity patterns cannot be generalized from these results.
Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.
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Claims the paper makes
0 of 9 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged
- Findingown data§ Results · p. 3
All activities of the giant ground pangolin recorded at the burrow occurred at night.
“All the activities of the giant ground pangolin recorded at the burrow occurred at night.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data§ Burrows · p. 3
Six out of eight localities discovered by local guides were within 100 m of swamp habitat.
“Six out of eight localities discovered by local guides were within 100 m of swamp habitat.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data§ Results · p. 3
At the active burrow, at least one single adult male giant ground pangolin was photographed entering and exiting the burrow multiple times.
“At the active burrow, we photographed at least one single, adult male-testicles are clearly discerned in several images and video-giant ground pangolin entering and exiting the burrow multiple times.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data§ Abstract · p. 1
One camera trap out of nine photographed an adult male giant ground pangolin using a burrow within 2 days of camera deployment.
“One camera photographed an adult male giant ground pangolin using a burrow within 2 days of camera deployment.”
- Also stated in: § Results · p. 3 · plain
“One camera trap out of nine at eight localities (two burrow entrances were associated with a single tree) photographed a pangolin at a burrow in this survey (Figure 2).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Also stated in: § Results · p. 3 · plain
- Findingcitation§ Results · p. 3
Possible scent-marking behavior was recorded.
“The giant ground pangolin was observed in the videos to be actively sniffing the tree root on several occasions and appears to scent mark twice by prominently pressing its anal glands to the top of the root (Zoological Society of London [ZSL], Congo Basin Institute [CBI], and MINFOF, 2017).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Zoological Society of London [ZSL], Congo Basin Institute [CBI], and MINFOF, 2017
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Findingown data§ Abstract · p. 1
The pangolin used the same burrow several times over a 25-day period.
“The pangolin used the same burrow several times over a 25-day period and possible scent-marking behavior was recorded.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Premisecitation§ Corresponding Author: · p. 2
Encounter rates of giant ground pangolins from previous studies are low (0.22 [0.08 SE] independent photographic events/100 days).
“Encounter rates of giant ground pangolins from previous studies are low (e.g. 0.22 [0.08 SE] independent photographic events/100 days; Bruce et al., 2017]).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Bruce et al., 2017
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Interpretationown data§ Discussion · p. 4
Giant ground pangolins are active at night.
“This survey further confirms that giant ground pangolins are active at night.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Study design and conductreasoning§ Discussion · p. 4
The presence of multiple burrow entrances around the active pangolin burrow prohibits confident conclusions about activity patterns of giant ground pangolins, such as how long they remain in burrows, when they enter and exit, on average, and whether they use multiple burrows.
“The presence of multiple burrow entrances around the active pangolin burrow prohibits any confident conclusions about the activity patterns of giant ground pangolins, such as how long they remain in burrows, when they enter and exit, on average, and whether they use multiple burrows.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationreasoning§ Corresponding Author: · p. 2
Simply finding a giant ground pangolin to attach a tracking device to begin such research can be difficult given their apparent rarity and furtive habits.
“However, simply finding a giant ground pangolin to attach a tracking device to begin such research can be difficult given their apparent rarity and furtive habits.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationown data§ Implications for Conservation · p. 4
Camera traps on potential burrows offer a cost-effective means of locating and observing giant ground pangolins as they use single or multiple burrows.
“For any researcher intent on learning more about giant ground pangolins, camera traps on potential burrows offer a cost-effective means of locating and observing the animals as they use single or multiple burrows.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationown data§ Discussion · p. 4
Camera traps placed on potentially active burrows can potentially detect animal presence within 2 days of placement.
“Our observations indicate that camera traps placed on potentially active burrows (i.e., burrows where pangolins are residing in them or are investigating them on a regular basis) can potentially detect animal presence within 2 days of placement.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
- It may state two separate claims as one. 9
- Probably not a substantial claim. 18
It may state two separate claims as one.
Findingown data§ Discussion · p. 4Camera 56 photographed Emin's pouched rat and African brush-tailed porcupine going in and out of the active giant ground pangolin burrow on the same evening, and the porcupine was photographed within 15 min following giant ground pangolin activity.
“Camera 56 also photographed Emin's pouched rat ( Cricetomys emini [Wroughton, 1910]) and African brush-tailed porcupine ( Atherurus africanus [Gray, 1942]) going in and out of the active giant ground pangolin burrow on the same evening, and the porcupine was photographed within 15 min following giant ground pangolin activity.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
Findingown data§ Burrows · p. 3Some trees had multiple burrow entrances.
“Some trees had multiple entrances that may lead to a single interconnected burrow.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
Findingown data§ Results · p. 3The tree had multiple burrow entrances around its trunk and roots.
“The tree had multiple burrow entrances around its trunk and roots, and cameras were placed to capture images of the two largest burrow entrances.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
Findingown data§ Results · p. 3The burrow was adjacent to a tree located on a northeast facing slope at the edge of a swamp.
“The burrow was adjacent to a tree located on a northeast facing slope at the edge of a swamp.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
Findingown data§ Results · p. 3Another camera on a 60-cm diameter burrow on the same tree produced overexposed images, and we could not tell if a pangolin was active there.
“Another camera on a 60-cm diameter burrow located directly on the other side of the large root on the same tree produced overexposed images, and we could not tell if a pangolin was active there.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
Findingown data§ Burrows · p. 3Several burrows had entrances at the base of trees and roots.
“Several burrows had entrances at the base of trees and roots.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
Findingown data§ Results · p. 3The active burrow was 30 cm in diameter and located under extended roots.
“The active burrow (30 cm in diameter) was located under extended roots, and the tree diameter at 1.3 m (dbh) was 152 cm.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
Findingown data§ Results · p. 3The associated tree had a dbh of 152 cm.
“The active burrow (30 cm in diameter) was located under extended roots, and the tree diameter at 1.3 m (dbh) was 152 cm.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimIt may state two separate claims as one.
Interpretationreasoning§ Corresponding Author: · p. 2These traits make direct observational studies to understand how giant ground pangolins utilize their habitat difficult because it is not easy to find or relocate the animal.
“These traits make direct observational studies to understand how it utilizes its habitat difficult as it is not easy to find or to relocate the animal.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimProbably not a substantial claim.
Premisecitation§ Introduction · p. 1Giant ground pangolins are vulnerable to overexploitation due to their large size, slow reproductive rate, and terrestrial habits.
“Kingdon et al. (2013) warn that, ''the large size, slow reproductive rate and terrestrial habits make the giant ground pangolins vulnerable to over exploitation, and that more research is required to address the currently inadequate conservation situation of the species'' (p. 399).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Kingdon et al. (2013)
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ Introduction · p. 1Giant ground pangolins are largely nocturnal, burrowing, and primarily restricted to remote areas where hunting pressure is low.
“What little information there is describes an animal that is largely nocturnal, burrowing, and primarily restricted to remote areas where hunting pressure is low.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Kingdon, Hoffmann, & Hoyt, 2013
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ Burrows · p. 3Giant ground pangolins are reported to be commonly associated with swamps, though they are reported to forage in diverse habitats.
“Giant ground pangolins are reported to be commonly associated with swamps, though they are reported to forage in diverse habitats (Kingdon, Hoffman, and Hoyt, 2013).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Kingdon, Hoffman, and Hoyt, 2013
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
Interpretationown data§ Discussion · p. 4Multiple burrow entrances may be present at active giant ground pangolin burrows.
“Multiple burrow entrances may be present.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
Premisecitation§ Corresponding Author: · p. 2Temminck's ground pangolin habitat use has been studied by following animals with radio transmitters and GPS receivers.
“Temminck's ground pangolin ( Smutsia temminckii [Smuts, 1832]) habitat use has been studied by following animals that have radio transmitters attached and remotely sensed information collected through GPS receivers (Pietersen et al., 2014).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Pietersen et al., 2014 source
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
Interpretationown data§ Discussion · p. 4The burrow may be complex below ground with multiple chambers or, alternatively, burrow residents have high tolerance for one another.
“This suggests that the burrow may be complex below ground with multiple chambers or, alternatively, burrow residents have high tolerance for one another.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
Interpretationreasoning§ Implications for Conservation · p. 4Researchers hoping to place a tag on an animal may potentially use this survey technique to rapidly locate an animal for tag placement.
“Researchers hoping to place a tag on an animal to learn more about its activity patterns and habitat requirements may potentially use this survey technique to rapidly locate an animal for tag placement.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Interpretationnone given§ Discussion · p. 4Identifying candidate burrows may be facilitated through the assistance of indigenous guides with knowledge of pangolin signs and habits.
“Identifying candidate burrows may be facilitated through the assistance of indigenous guides with knowledge of pangolin signs and habits.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ Discussion · p. 4White-bellied pangolins, black-bellied pangolins, and Temminck's ground pangolins are known to be active in the day.
“This is not without precedent as white-bellied pangolins ( Phataginus tricuspis [Rafinesque, 1821]), black-bellied pangolins ( P. tetradactyla [Linnaeus, 1766]) and Temminck's ground pangolins are known to be active in the day (Pietersen et al., 2014).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Pietersen et al., 2014 source
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
Premisecitation§ Discussion · p. 4Smutsia temminckii is known to utilize aardvark burrows.
“Smutsia temminckii is known to utilize aardvark burrows (Pietersen, McKechnie, and Jansen, 2014).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Pietersen, McKechnie, and Jansen, 2014 source
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
Premisecitation§ Discussion · p. 4The current understanding is that giant ground pangolins are solitary.
“The current understanding is that giant ground pangolins are solitary (Kingdon et al., 2013).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Kingdon et al., 2013
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
It may state two separate claims as one.
Interpretationown data§ Discussion · p. 4An active giant ground pangolin's burrow can be profiled as being at least 30 cm in diameter, possibly located under roots with abraded moss and lichens, and may have scent-marking sign.
“Based on this limited data set, we can profile an active giant ground pangolin's burrow as being at least 30 cm in diameter, it may possibly be located under roots that appear to have the moss and lichens on the upper surface abraded by passage of the pangolin and may have scentmarking sign.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
The authors state this as an assumption.
Burrows used by giant ground pangolins have to be relatively large to accommodate an adult pangolin.
“We made the reasonable assumption that burrows used by giant ground pangolins have to be relatively large to accommodate an adult pangolin.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Presently no data or estimates exist for home range size, overlap of home ranges among individuals, population densities, and minimum area requirements for giant ground pangolins.
“presently no data or estimates exist for any of these for this pangolin species.”
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
Morning observation described as nighttime activity
MinorThe results list a pangolin visit at 7:55 a.m., then state that all recorded activity at the burrow occurred at night.
“July 7 at 7:55 a.m. (the pangolin is assumed to be departing the burrow)”
“All the activities of the giant ground pangolin recorded at the burrow occurred at night.”
Camera retrieval dates conflict
MinorThe methods say the cameras were retrieved on July 27 or 28, but the results say the camera that photographed the pangolin was retrieved on July 25.
“The cameras were not checked until retrieval on either July 27, 2017, or July 28, 2017.”
“The camera was placed on June 30, 2017, and retrieved on July 25, 2017, and was thus active for 25 nights.”
Citations
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“…survey effort of fewer than 900 camera-trap-nights, with a proportion or all of the units set for pangolins, produced multiple records in south Vietnam (Willcox et al., 2017), Sabah,Malaysia (Panjang, 2012), Palawan, Philippines (Marler, 2016), and Cameroon (Ichu et al., 2017; Bruce et al., 2018).”
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“A hybrid approach in finding burrows and using camera traps to confirm usage and pangolin presence centered on burrow locations may also be an effective way forward (Bruce et al. 2018; Khwaja et al. 2019; Morin et al. 2020; Matthews et al. 2023).”
Metadata
- Authors
- Bruce, T., Kamta, R., Tabue Mbobda, R. B., Talla Kanto, S., Djibrilla, D., Moses, I., Deblauwe, V., Njabo, K., LeBreton, M., Ndjassi, C., Barichievy, C., & Olson, D.
- Affiliations
- Zoological Society of London (GB)
- Université de Dschang (CM)
- Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, MINFOF, Dja Faunal Reserve, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Congo Basin Institute, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Corresponding author
- Bruce, Tom
- Venue
- Tropical Conservation Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2018-01
- Volume
- 11
- ISSN
- 1940-0829 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2782927337
- Cited by
- 26
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 7
- FWCI
- 2.26
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Tropical Conservation Science (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- CGSPace A Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- University of California, Los Angeles
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Keywords
- Smutsia gigantea, camera trapping, burrows, nocturnal mammals, burrowing behavior, scent marking, telemetry
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-10-29, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).
A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-29 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
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